


Oops, I Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

by lbk_princen



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Bisexual Character, Comedy, Crack Treated Seriously, Demon Ling Yao, Demon Summoning, Edward Elric Swears, M/M, Neurodivergent Edward Elric, Social Worker Roy Mustang, WAIT I CAN FINALLY IN TEXT CONFIRM ED AS HAVING ADHD ITS A MODERN SETTING YESSS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28683921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbk_princen/pseuds/lbk_princen
Summary: The whole situation was so surreal; he’d literally manifested a hot guy into his bedroom because he couldn’t keep his gay thoughts under control. What a life he lived.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Ling Yao
Comments: 29
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to the beansprouts server for 1) giving me this idea in the first place and 2) egging me on to continue it past the original drabble i wrote sdlknsfjgs

_Man,_ Ed thought gloomily, scratching meaningless symbols into the margins of his math homework. _This sucks. Wish I could be hanging out with a hot guy right now._

The thought made his face feel warm, and he doubled down on the shape he was drawing, smoothing out the curves of the circle to make it perfect. He was sixteen and single, wishing for some company wasn't exactly out of the question, but Ed always felt embarrassed whenever he imagined holding a boy's hand, or having one run fingers through his hair, or even kiss him...

Ed let out an involuntary sigh and propped his head up on his hand, adding random lines to the circle until it had a pleasing, symmetrical design. He bit his lip, trying to distract himself; he should really focus on his math, but...

His teeth dug in a little too hard and suddenly Ed tasted blood. He ran his tongue across the tiny cut on his lip while he stared, unfocused, at the symbol he'd drawn. _I want a boyfriend,_ he thought glumly.

The hairs on the back of Ed's neck prickled, and goosebumps raised all down his back and arms. The air in his and Al's room suddenly felt charged with energy, and Ed leaned back in his seat, heart racing inexplicably fast. _What is going on?_ he thought.

"Hi," said a voice beside Ed's ear.

Ed shrieked and jerked away, falling out of his chair in shock. Standing just behind the chair was a handsome boy about Ed's age with long, black hair. He was wearing a yellow hoodie and white pants, but Ed was less concerned with his fashion choices and more concerned with _why he was in his fucking room._

"Why are you in my fucking room?!" Ed shouted from the floor.

The boy crouched down in front of him and cocked his head, sending his beautiful hair cascading down one shoulder. "You called me," he said simply.

"I-- no I didn't," Ed argued. "I have no fucking clue who you are. Who are you?"

"Call me Ling," said the boy, and he smiled brightly, which made Ed's heart flutter stupidly. Then his heart began to _race,_ because this Ling guy had _fangs._ Now that Ed was looking closer, he could see Ling's eyes were an unnatural, deep violet colour.

"Are you a demon?" Ed asked stupidly, still half-sitting up on the floor.

"Of a sort," Ling answered unhelpfully, again with that glittery smile. "You're new to the whole demon-summoning thing, huh? Lucky you got me and not my brother -- he would’ve taken everything you have and laughed while doing it."

"Oh, but you're a good demon, so you won't?" Ed said snarkily.

Ling just laughed. "Pretty much, yeah! Is it comfortable down there?"

Ed blushed and quickly got to his feet, dusting himself off. Ling stood as well, and started glancing around Ed's room for the first time.

"Okay, well, how do I un-summon you?" Ed asked brusquely. "How did I even summon you in the first place? I know my stupid father dabbled in occult stuff but I haven't tried to do anything magical since..." The memory of that night soured the taste in Ed's mouth and he looked away with a frown. "Well, I don't do magic stuff anymore. So, chop-chop, un-summon, I banish thee, let's go."

Ling zeroed in on Ed again, and this time his smile was a bit less friendly. "That's not how it works, I'm afraid! You called me for a purpose, so I'm not leaving until that purpose is fulfilled! It took a lot of energy to get here, you know. I can't just hop around willy-nilly. I'm all drained, you'll have to feed me before you send me away."

Ling swooned dramatically towards Ed, and Ed deliberately stepped out of the way. Ling caught himself on his foot before lost his balance completely, and he pouted.

"How the hell could I summon you for a purpose if I did it _by accident?_ " Ed demanded.

Ling folded his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his toes. "Well, what were you thinking about just before I got here?" he asked with a cheeky smile.

Ed frowned, then blushed furiously when he recalled he'd been thinking about how much he wanted a boyfriend. "No," he said, shaking his head. "No way, I did _not_ summon a demon boyfriend!"

Ling pounced on him, throwing his arms around Ed's neck and getting _way_ too close to Ed's face in the process. "I hate to break it to you, but you sure did!~ And you're stuck with me!~ We're going to be the best boyfriends ever, I can tell!"

Of course it was _then_ that Alphonse walked in.

* * *

“How do you _accidentally_ summon a demon, Ed?” Al exclaimed when Ed tried to explain the situation.

“I don’t know, okay?” Ed huffed and grabbed his notebook off his desk. “I was just doodling, a-and thinking, and then boom, demon in my room.”

“ _Our_ room,” Al corrected, exasperated. “If you want to get back into magic, brother, I don’t mind, but you could at least ask before you start summoning things into our bedroom.”

The thing in question was sitting on Ed’s bed, cross-legged and watching the brothers with open amusement. “It was the blood, by the way,” Ling chimed in, pulling Ed’s pillow into his lap. “Blood and intent. The sigil wasn’t very powerful, but the intent sure was!”

Heat rushed to Ed’s face, and he silently handed his notebook over so Al could look at the ‘sigil’. “I did bite my lip,” he admitted.

Al frowned as he looked at the doodle. “I do see traces of magic in this. You really weren't trying to summon anything?” he asked, glancing up at Ed, who shook his head. Al sighed. “I don’t know how you pulled it off, brother, but congrats on being the first person to summon a demon completely by accident. What’s his contract?”

Ed opened his mouth to lie, but Ling eagerly cut him off. “I’m his boyfriend!”

“No he’s not! No, you’re not,” Ed blustered, brandishing a finger at the demon. “You’re an inconvenience at best, a fucking problem at worst!”

“Aww, how can you say that when you don’t even know me yet?” Ling asked poutily. He buried his nose in Ed’s pillow, and peered out at Ed over the edge of it. It was admittedly adorable.

Al put the notebook back on the desk and tugged Ed towards the door for a moment aside. They both put their backs to Ling and lowered their voices.

“That’s a pretty vague contract,” Al observed. “Demons are only bound until the completion of their contract, right? Maybe if you ‘break up’ with him, that’ll be enough to send him away?”

“Hmm, that could work,” Ed mumbled, rubbing his chin. “He seems pretty harmless, at least -- though I wonder if breaking up with him would make him mad?”

Both brothers glanced over their shoulders at their unexpected houseguest. Ling was standing at Ed’s desk, studying the notebook with the pillow still clutched to his chest. He glanced up and wiggled his fingers at Ed when their eyes met. Ed quickly looked away.

“I think I still have the silver dagger Mrs. Izumi gave us,” Al whispered. “Killing a demon in this world sends them back to theirs, right? But it probably won’t come to that, I think you’re right about him being harmless. Go talk to him.”

Ed felt a jolt at the thought. Talking to Ling again? The hot demon boy who had hugged Ed and called him his boyfriend? His palm got sweaty just thinking about it.

“Unless you want to keep your demon boyfriend around?” Al said pointedly. Ed gave his brother the middle finger, then reluctantly turned his attention to Ling, who dropped back down onto the bed with a smile.

“Ahem. Um. Er... Ling?” Ed stammered.

“Yes, Edward?” Ling answered. It was unnerving that he knew Ed’s name when Ed had never told it to him.

“I think we should, er, see other people?” Ed tugged on the neck of his shirt, unsure why it was so damn warm in this room. “I’m breaking up with you, basically. So, contract over, you can go home now.”

Ling sighed, and Ed tensed, preparing for the worst. Would Ling suddenly explode into a ball of razor-sharp teeth and weird demon pus?

“I think you misunderstand the nature of this contract,” Ling said, surprisingly sympathetic. “It’s not over until I get my payment. I wasn’t kidding about you needing to feed me before I can go.”

“Oh. Well that should be easy enough, shouldn’t it?” Ed remarked. “Unless you mean something like baby hearts-- yeah, I can’t do baby hearts. Umm, I think we have cup noodles in the pantry?”

Ling laughed, squeezing the pillow in his arms. Ed noticed that the hoodie he was wearing hugged his shoulders in a way that hinted at unseen muscle. “That’s not what I mean, although I won’t say no to cup noodles if you want to make some for me,” Ling said with a flirtatious smile. “Every demon has a Price they require for their services, because it replenishes their magic. I’m basically trapped here until you pay my Price.”

Ed’s heart sunk. “Well, what is it?” he asked impatiently.

Ling sized Ed up, then set the pillow aside and slowly stood. Ed held his ground, fists at his side, as Ling approached him until they were standing inches apart. Ed had to look up to meet his eyes (behind the pulse of attraction, Ed felt his old height envy kick in), violet and inhuman but surprisingly warm, surprisingly inviting.

“Love,” Ling said softly. His breath smelled strangely sweet, like sugar or candy canes or something.

Ed swallowed forcefully. “Huh?”

“That’s my Price,” Ling said, still soft. His hand moved forward, then fell back at his side in an aborted movement, like he wanted to touch Ed but thought better of it. “I can't go anywhere until you love me back, Edward.”

Ed’s heart pounded thickly in his chest. He took a step back, licked his dry lips, and tried to ignore the way Ling’s gaze darted to his mouth. “Isn’t that awfully convenient,” he said, low in his chest. “I’m afraid you’ll go hungry, then. Why would I-- I’m not going to love a demon! I can’t deal with this, I have a math assignment to do.”

Ed turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, pushing past his brother to do so. It wasn’t until he was halfway to the kitchen that he realized he hadn’t brought his homework with him, so he’d have to go back if he actually wanted to work on his math. He didn’t really, though, so he just continued into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.

The whole situation was so surreal; he’d literally manifested a hot guy into his bedroom because he couldn’t keep his gay thoughts under control. What a life he lived.

He pulled out his phone, checked the time. He still had two hours before his assignment was due.

If Ed got to choose he wouldn’t be doing these stupid classes anyway, but the social worker had only allowed him and Al to live on their own instead of in a group home if they agreed to be fulltime students and kept good grades. Ed insisted he could enroll in college, he was too smart for high school, but Mustang had just said, “If you’re so smart, then graduate. You have to work within the system.” Ed’s thoughts on that could be summed up with _fuck the system,_ and _fuck Mustang._

Ed was refilling his glass when Al emerged from the bedroom and joined Ed in the kitchen with a thoughtful look on his face.

“This is certainly an interesting turn of events,” Al said, stealing the glass of water for a sip. Ed tried to snatch it back but Al danced out of the way and Ed let him go, not wanting to chase him around over a measly glass of water.

“Yeah, I have a feeling he means it when he says I’m stuck with him,” Ed muttered, leaning back against the counter. “Wanna help me forcibly remove him from the apartment?”

“Mmm, no, I think we have to let him live here,” Al replied, taking another sip.

“What?! Come on, Al, be serious.”

“I _am_ serious.” He gave Ed a stern look, followed by a smile. “I talked to him for a bit while you were sulking out here or whatever. He’s… interesting. I don’t think he’s bad news or anything, and you _do_ need more friends.”

“I have friends,” Ed retorted, crossing his arms indignantly.

Al rolled his eyes. “Name _one._ Winry doesn’t count,” he quickly added, and Ed shut his mouth.

He groped around in his mind for a person, any person, that he actually liked and got along with other than Winry and Al. “I’m friends with Douglas,” he eventually said.

Al laughed at him. “The guy who works at the convenience store? He doesn’t count either, Ed, he’s always on the clock whenever you have your chats about your little emo bands, and he’s like forty years old besides. Ling might not be human but at least he’s _our age._ ”

“First of all they are not emo bands, they are pop-punk bands,” Ed corrected, annoyance leaking out of his words and posture. “Second of all, what the hell are we gonna tell Mustang and Hawkeye when they come do their little weekly check-in, huh?”

Al shrugged and grinned cheekily. “We tell them that your boyfriend moved in with us.”

“I’m gonna kill you, for real,” Ed replied flatly.

Al handed the water back to Ed and motioned for him to move out of the way. “No you won’t. Go finish your assignment before your meds wear off, I’ll make dinner.”

Ed grumbled and knocked back the rest of his water, leaving the glass on the counter and sauntering back towards the bedroom. Inside he found Ling examining the contents of his bookshelf with an intrigued expression. He looked up when Ed walked in, and smiled brightly.

“Hi, babe!”

Ed scowled but felt colour rush to his cheeks all the same. “Don’t call me that,” he snapped. “Alright, look. Here’s the deal. You can stay for now, but none of the _we’re boyfriends_ shit, okay? We’re not even _friends-_ friends-- is that my hair-tie?” Ed interrupted himself, pointing at Ling’s hair, which was now pulled back into a ponytail.

“Hm? Oh, yes it is.” Ling pulled the tail in front of his shoulder, his fingers gliding smoothly through the fine black hair. “Your brother said I could take one, I hope you don’t mind.”

Ed thought about how distractingly gorgeous Ling’s hair had been when it was loose, shifting and shining like black mercury. With it tied back, he looked a bit more respectable, except now the sharp line of his jaw was on full display, and Ed found himself staring at it. “Whatever, yeah, keep it, I don’t care,” he said flippantly.

Ling smirked, and Ed wished he’d stayed in the kitchen. His demon was _dangerously_ attractive.

“Well,” Ling said, trailing his fingers across the shelf in front of him as he stepped towards Ed. “If we’re not friends, and we’re not boyfriends, what are we?”

“Temporary roommates,” Ed answered, edging around Ling to get to the desk. Ling stopped where he was and followed Ed with his eyes. “You can stay on the couch until we figure this out.”

“I don’t understand what there is to figure out,” Ling said, and his expression was beginning to show signs of dismay. “Why would you call me here if you don’t even want me?”

Ed swallowed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with the hard metal of his automail. “I told you, it was an accident. Look, I’m sorry. This is just a bit weird for me. Can you get out of my room, please? I have work to do.”

For a long moment, Ling didn’t move, and Ed reluctantly prepared to yell at him, but before he could open his mouth, Ling looked down at the ground and left without another word.

Ed sighed and slumped down into his desk chair. _Why am I feeling bad for him?_ he wondered, annoyed at himself. _It’s not my fault-- well, it’s a little my fault, but what the hell am I supposed to do about it?_

He groaned and reacquainted his face with the surface of his desk. Being stuck with each other until love magically happened was some Beauty-and-the-Beast level bullshit, and Ed wanted no part of it. He raised his head, and noticed the sigil he’d drawn glaring up at him from the notebook. With a swift movement, Ed tore the page out and crumpled it, stuffing it into one of his desk drawers. No more thinking about demon things, or gay things, or gay demon things.

Ed picked up his pencil, flipped open his math textbook, and for the next hour and a half forgot anything existed other than logarithmic formulas.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the amount of effort i am putting into NOT fleshing out the magic system/demon lore is frankly ridiculous. this was supposed to be lighthearted but my brain is like "ok but REALITY MECHANICS" shut up and write the gay romantic comedy XD

beep, beep, _beep, BEEP,_ **_BEEP,_ ** **_BEEP_ **

Ed rolled over and smacked the alarm clock, filled with a growing rage as he missed the off button the first two times he hit it. Whoever invented an alarm that got progressively louder deserved to be stoned to death, in Ed’s opinion.

Blessed with silence, Ed grumbled and rolled back over, tugging his blanket up over his head. He heard the door open: that’d be Al getting up to use the bathroom-- except, he hadn’t heard Al stand up from his bed. Confused, Ed tugged his blanket back down and blinked his eyes open, only to yelp in shock when he saw Ling standing beside his bed.

“Good morning!” Ling said cheerfully. He was holding a bowl of cereal, and he held it out to Ed. “I made you breakfast.”

Ed sat up, flustered due to the fact that he was just wearing a tank top and boxers under his blanket, but took the bowl when Ling pushed it into his hands. “Why?” he asked, bewildered.

“Because I wanted to,” Ling replied as he took a seat on the edge of Ed’s bed. Ed glanced at Al’s bed, but it was empty -- he must have gotten up before the alarm, then.

Ed looked at the cereal in the bowl. It was the one he normally got, and there was no milk, the way he preferred it. “We were out of cereal,” he accused, suspicious.

“I know, I went and got some.”

Ed squinted. “Where did you get the money?”

Ling laughed and waved him off. “You ask a lot of questions, huh? Just eat it. I promise it’s not poisoned.”

“I think my amount of questions is perfectly reasonable, actually,” Ed argued. “Where’d you get the money, Ling? Because Al and I live on an allowance, so if you’re gonna go around stealing--”

“I didn’t steal from you, calm down.” Ling patted Ed’s leg through the blanket.

Ed huffed, and picked up the spoon. “Did you steal _this?_ ” he asked, stirring the dry cereal.

Instead of answering, Ling stood up and smiled at him, jarring Ed with the sight of his fangs again. “Hold on, I think I hear your phone ringing. Don’t worry, I’ll get it.” He dashed out of the room, and Ed stared after him. His phone was sitting on his desk, plugged in and charging.

“Idiot demon!” Ed yelled after him. “Nobody has fucking landlines anymore!”

When that garnered no response, Ed sighed and scooched himself farther up on his bed, drawing his knees towards his chest. He took a morose bite of probably-stolen cereal and decided he’d have to set some ground rules with Ling. No stealing, no crime, pretend to be human as best he can, stuff like that. As much as Ed disliked it, he and Al had to be somewhat on their best behaviour, or they could lose this apartment and the opportunities that came with it. If Ling ruined this for them, Ed would be beyond infuriated.

Glancing at the clock, Ed realized that talk might have to wait. He needed to get ready or he’d be late for school. He finished scarfing down his cereal, then leapt out of bed and threw on some deodorant before dressing in the first clothes he grabbed. Black jeans and a Nirvana tee were suitably on-brand and went well enough with his favourite red hoodie. A quick pitstop to pop an adderall before he braided his hair, brushed his teeth, and then he was scooping his backpack up onto his shoulder on his way to the kitchen.

Al was standing at the sink, doing dishes. Based on the shadows under his eyes, he probably hadn’t slept much. Ed wished he could do more for his brother’s insomnia, but there were things that -- as he was painfully aware -- were out of his control.

Ling was sprawled on the couch in front of the little television, watching something that wasn’t in English. Ed paused just long enough to recognize it as Spanish, and he walked over to peer at Ling over the back of the couch.

“Can you even understand what they’re saying?” he asked, dubious.

Ling grinned up at him. _“Por supuesto, mi amor._ I know all the human languages.”

Ed blushed at the obvious endearment, but his curiosity won out over his indignance. “Really? You know _every_ human language? I don’t even know how many languages there _are._ ”

“Something like sixty-five hundred, isn’t it? I don’t count them, I just speak them.”

Ed leaned on the top of the couch. “And is that a you-specific thing or are all demons omniglots?”

“All demons, as far as I know,” Ling answered with a shrug. “We can be summoned anywhere, after all. You have to be able to negotiate in whatever the local language is.”

“What other kind of cool stuff can you do?” Ed asked, intrigued. He had done some cursory research on demons, of course, when he and Al had been deeply fixated on magic, but their main focus had been rituals and alchemy, not demonology.

“Later, brother, we’ve got to go,” Al called from the door where he was putting on his shoes.

Ed let out a disappointed sigh and pointed sternly at Ling. “Fine, later. Stay here, and _don’t_ cause any trouble, okay?”

Ling smiled and picked up the remote. “Yes, yes. Have a good day! You too, Alphonse.”

“Thanks, you too! Bye, Ling,” Al called, opening the door. Ed hurried to join him, closing the door and locking it behind them.

“You do not tell anyone at school about this,” Ed muttered, pocketing his key.

Al grinned slyly. “What, about how you got so lonely you decided to summon a boyfriend from the other side?”

Ed grabbed his brother and administered a hearty noogie, while Al complained loudly. “Yeah, go on, make fun of me, see what you get,” Ed threatened lovingly.

When Ed let go, Al fixed his hair and adjusted the strap of his backpack. “Since you get to keep your demon, remind me why I can’t have a cat?”

“Those things are not comparable,” Ed retorted, opening his phone to check his messages. He groaned when he saw about fifty unreads from Winry. “Nooooo, you told Winry, didn’t you?! You little shit.”

Al shrugged, grinning. “It only seemed fair to tell her that you’ve got a new boyfriend, seeing as she’s your ex and all.”

 _"_ _She’s not my ex!_ Oh my fucking God, dude. We kissed _once,_ we weren’t dating! Also Ling isn’t-- _grragh!_ Why can’t you just let me live?” Ed huffed angrily as he typed a rant in response to Winry’s onslaught of questions.

“Duty of a little brother?” Al suggested, fake-innocent.

“And people say _I’m_ the asshole,” Ed muttered.

* * *

When Ed got home, he was tired. It was amazing how draining it was to be bored out of his mind all day. Yay, understimulation. At this point Ed wanted to run laps around the apartment building, but the thought of that was also exhausting.

Al was staying after school to tutor some kid, so Ed was alone when he let himself into the apartment. Ling was in the exact same position he was when the brothers had left, except now he had an open bag of chips at his side and was snacking on them with great prejudice.

Ed dropped his bag on the floor and stomped over to the couch, not even bothering to kick off his shoes.

“Hi! Welcome ba--”

Ed interrupted Ling by snatching up the chip bag. It was more than half empty. “These are my favourite chips,” he stated, glaring at Ling.

The demon sat up and licked some of the flavour dust off his thumb. “You can have the rest. I was just a little hungry.”

Ed’s glare intensified. “I thought you ate ‘love’ or whatever bullshit.”

Ling frowned at him, but finished cleaning his thumb with his tongue before answering. “My Price sustains me in the long-term, but my body has needs too.” He sucked a different one of his fingers into his mouth, and suddenly the eye contact he was making with Ed became charged with an uncomfortable amount of tension.

Ignoring the burning in his face, Ed turned and stomped back into the kitchen. He rolled up the chip bag in his patented fashion, and went up on his tiptoes to put the bag on top of the fridge. When he was finished with that, he finally took his shoes off and threw them across the hall at the front door, where they bounced against the floor and settled. Then he poured himself a glass of water, gulped down half of it, and filled it back up to take to his room.

“You don’t wanna come watch TV with me? There’s a movie on,” Ling called to him as he sauntered past. “It’s even in English, just for you.”

“Fuck off,” Ed snapped. He just wanted to nap, but he knew it would be impossible before his meds wore off.

“You seem like you’re in a bad mood, do you wanna talk abou--”

Ed shut the bedroom door forcefully.

He set his water on the desk, dug his phone and his earbuds out of his pocket, and put his music on shuffle as he sat heavily on his bed. _What the hell is my problem,_ he thought, skipping the first few songs until he found one that fit his mood. He sighed and laid down on his bed, placing his phone on his chest and staring up at the ceiling while the kickdrums blasted in his ears.

 _You do need more friends,_ echoed Al’s voice in his head.

 _Don’t do anything stupid, and at least be nice to him,_ one of Winry’s texts had advised. She’d also said, _if anyone could get along with a demon, it would be you._

Ed smirked, remembering that message. It did fit with his aesthetic, or so he liked to think.

The next song that came on was a classic punk ballad, a throaty voice lamenting a lost lover’s touch over the croon of an electric guitar. Ed thought of Ling’s fingers, long and elegant and covered in chip dust. Ed thought of his tongue sliding out--

“Not now, gay thoughts,” Ed grumbled to himself. He grabbed his phone, skipped the song, and turned onto his side.

The thing was, he _did_ want a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or _someone_. But the thought of getting close to somebody only for them to leave was too painful to even consider. Even Winry, who had been something of a childhood crush for Ed and had first awakened in him the desire to be touched, to be _loved--_ even with Winry, it hadn’t lasted. They _didn’t_ date, Ed hadn’t lied. Because he knew that either he would leave, or she would, and of course, in the end, he was right. He saw what happened with his mom and dad. Love was a _flimsy_ thing.

 _That’s my Price,_ echoed Ling’s voice.

How could anyone sustain themself on _love?_ Ed scoffed at the thought, but there was a hard pit in his stomach.

Suddenly restless, Ed sat up and wrestled himself out of his jeans to put on some track pants instead. Maybe if he worked out he could stop thinking.

After forty-five minutes of exercising alone in his room to music, Ed was sweaty and on the pleasant side of sore. He went to shower, then tossed on some pajamas he’d gotten for his birthday but rarely wore. With his hair still wrapped in a towel on top of his head, he begrudgingly re-entered the living room and plopped down on the couch beside Ling.

Ling glanced at him curiously, but Ed just slouched down and spread his legs, arms folded across his chest. “That movie still on?” he asked dispassionately.

“It’s almost over, but yes,” Ling replied. “I could find one that’s just starting?”

Ed shrugged. “Sure.”

Halfway through the new movie Ling found, Ed got tired of the heavy towel on his head and unwrapped his hair, giving it a final rub before tossing the towel on the floor to pick up later.

“Your hair is quite nice,” Ling said earnestly. He reached over and brushed his fingers lightly through the damp blond strands, and Ed glanced at him sideways.

“Please don’t be weird,” Ed deadpanned.

Ling chuckled but returned his hand to his own lap. “You’re a little weird yourself, you know.”

“How would you know?” Ed countered.

“I know a lot of things about you,” Ling replied. He propped his elbow up on the back of the couch and gazed intently at Ed.

Suspicion and curiosity battled in Ed’s mind. “How’s that?” he asked begrudgingly.

“I got a little… mm, let’s say, _taste,_ of who you are when the contract was formed.” Ling smiled, and the hair on the back of Ed’s neck prickled as he was reminded, again, that Ling was a demon.

“Well that’s hardly fair, since I know jack shit about you,” Ed muttered.

“What do you want to know? Ask me anything.” Ling’s smile broadened.

Ed turned towards Ling, not bothering to pretend he was watching the movie anymore. “You mentioned you had a brother,” he said with undisguised interest.

“Did I? Hm, well, technically I have a few, but I only associate with one.” Ling laced his fingers together and glanced at his hands. “His name is Greed, and you’d probably find him rather unsavory, but he looks out for me at least.”

“You’re a little brother, then?” Ed asked. “Yeah, you gave me that vibe.”

“Middle child, if you must know,” Ling retorted with a grin. “Of at least twenty-four. Could be more by now, who knows.”

“Jesus. Do I even wanna _know_ about how demons have kids?” Ed asked, desperately wanting to know. “Greed is a fun name. Very on-the-nose. Let me guess, his Price is just ‘all your earthly belongings’?”

Ling laughed at that, and Ed smiled, enjoying the sound. “Not quite, although if you offered him that he would gladly take it with no remorse. I can’t reveal another demon’s Price, before you ask.”

Ed closed his mouth, denied his next question before he could even get it out. “Damn. Okay. Uh, do you like Earth? Do you ever miss home?”

“I do like Earth,” Ling answered with an earnest smile. “I like humans. You’re only my third contract, so there’s still a lot for me to see. I don’t miss home at all, really.”

“Only your third, huh?” Ed propped his head up on his hand and shot Ling a crooked smile. “Well you’re my first, although I guess you knew that already. You try to date all your contractors?”

Ling chuckled and toyed with the end of his ponytail. “No. Typically what happens is I get summoned, they find out what my Price is, and they send me away.”

Ed hesitated, weighing his next question carefully. “Why love?” he asked, scratching an itch on his thigh. “Did you choose your own Price? How do you know when the conditions are met?”

“No one chooses their Price,” Ling said, matter-of-fact. “Mine just happens to be love. And you’ll soon find that I’m very loveable.” He batted his eyelashes at Ed, which just made Ed roll his eyes. “It doesn’t have to be romantic love, either,” Ling added, surprising Ed. “In fact I haven’t had anyone pay me with that, so far. My first contract was a stern old man who came to love me like a grandson. My second was a military unit, though they were like you and did a hasty summon without knowing the Price. But they paid me in the camaraderie between close friends, because that’s love too.”

Ed tipped his head to the side, considering that. “Huh. That’s not so bad, then, I guess. I’m sure I could muster up some bro-love for you at some point, and you can take your payment and go.”

“Mmm, perhaps.” Ling’s hand rested on the couch cushion between the two of them; Ed wondered when he’d moved it. “Is that really what would make you happiest, though?”

“What do you mean?” Ed asked slowly.

Ling’s hand edged closer, until his fingers grazed the metal fingers of Ed’s right hand. Ed couldn’t feel it beyond a dull awareness; his eyes saw the contact, and his severed, wire-connected nerves strained to feel it because his stupid brain thought that he _should_ feel it. He _hurt_ with wanting to feel it. Ling slid his fingers into Ed’s automail palm, turning his hand gently. Ed couldn’t tell if Ling’s skin was warm or cold.

“I’m not speaking in riddles,” Ling murmured. “I’ve only ever said what I mean. What I want. You called me for a reason, but you act like you would rather pay me to leave than for the reason you called me.”

“What you want is for me to-- to pay you to be-- to date me,” Ed replied, nearly choking on his words. “I’m not interested in something that isn’t real.”

“You think I’m not real?” Ling asked in response, violet eyes glittering.

“I think what you’re offering isn’t,” Ed corrected through the growing lump in his throat. He’d showered away all the sweat from his workout, so that was _new_ sweat he felt gathering on the back of his neck.

“I’m a demon, Ed. I am what I offer.”

Ed gulped. “Don’t demons lie and trick people?”

Ling’s eyes were half-lidded. “Oh, certainly. But not me. I’ve always preferred a more… direct approach to what I want.”

Ling leaned forwards slightly, and his hand tugged on Ed’s, urging him to lean forward as well. But he couldn’t. For a moment, Ed was frozen. Then his heart leapt like he had been shocked, and he tore his hand away from Ling’s. He jumped up from the couch, scooped his towel up off the floor, and mumbled something about needing to brush his hair before escaping to the bathroom.

 _Ah, shit,_ Ed thought, leaning against the bathroom door while he caught his breath. The sight of Ling’s intensely pretty eyes boring into him lingered in his mind. _I’m in serious trouble._


End file.
